Monday, December 28, 2009

HEARTBURN NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR HEARTBURN SUFFERERS

The beginning of a new year has always been a time we reflect on the changes we want or need to make. It is a time we make resolutions for change, and resolve to follow through on those changes. If you are thinking about making some changes in the coming year on you approach the care and treatment of your heartburn, the resolutions below will make a good start.

1.“I resolve to learn the basics about my treatment options.”
Your doctor will likely suggest lifestyle changes to help you control your heartburn. Other options include using antiacids, H2 blockers, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to control your heartburn. Learning what your treatment options are is an important step in controllling your heartburn.

2.“I resolve to keep a food diary.”
It is important to keep a food diary or heartburn record so you can see what foods trigger your heartburn, and what helps relieve it.

3.“I resolve to make a mealtime a heartburn-free time.”
If certain foods cause your heartburn, mealtime may not be a pleasant experience for you. There are meal planning tips you can follow that can help you enjoy meals again.

4.“I resolve to learn how to prevent my heartburn at night.”
Eight out of every 10 heartburn sufferers will experience heartburn at night. You can prevent heartburn from keeping you up at night by following a few nighttime heartburn prevention tips.

5.“I resolve to take my heartburn medication everyday.”
Heartburn medication can work effectively for many people, but only if it is taken consistently and every day. If you find yourself forgetting to take your medication every day, you can try using a medication organizer. Some have alarms that will alert you when it's time to take your medication.
6.“I resolve to be realistic.”
It can take awhile to bring your heartburn under control. Don't despair if your heartburn isn't totally gone after your first dose of medication or after the first meal you eat that doesn't contain your trigger foods. It can take time to take your heartburn under control, especially if it's frequent and severe.

7.“I resolve to plan ahead.”
If you know you are going to a family gathering or restaurant where you won't have as much control over what is being served, you can plan ahead and take the steps needed to avoid heartburn. You can let your family know what foods are your heartburn triggers. If this won't always work, you can plan on taking your own food that you know won't trigger your heartburn. When it comes to restaurants, planning ahead and knowing what to order will go a long way in helping you prevent heartburn while dining out.

8.“I resolve to ask for help.”
There may be times when it seems that no matter what you do, nothing works and your heartburn keeps returning. Don't be afraid to ask for help. You can discuss your concerns with your doctor. The two of you may decide that a change of treatment is needed. Perhaps what you need is to be able to discuss your situation with other heartburn sufferers and get their tips for coping. The Heartburn Forum is a great place to do this.

NEW YEAR THOUGHTS

NEW YEAR THOUGHTS

HERE IS AN EXCERPT FROM MELISSA WILEY'S BLOG. SHE IS AUTHOR OF CHILDREN'S STORIES AND MANY OF HER IDEAS ARE VERY CLUBHOUSE-Y. SO CHECK IT OUT.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I LOVE BEGINNINGS, FRESH STARTS. I AM VERY, VERY GOOD AT
BEGINNING THINGS, LESS ADEPT AT FINISHING THEM. BUT I'VE
FINISHED SOME PROJECTS THIS LONG WEEKEND
AND AM ON THE VERGE OF FINISHING TWO OTHERS, AND THAT FEELS GREAT.
THIS YEAR MY RESOLUTION IF I HAVE ONE, IS TO LOOK CLOSER AT
BEAUTY PART OUR FAMILY RULE OF SIX.
MY BEDROOM, THOUGH NOT FANCY AND DECIDEDLY LOW-
BUDGET IS REALLY BEAUTIFUL NOW. NOW THAT I KNOW WELL BE
IN THIS RENTAL HOUSE ANOTHER YEAR, I'LL KEEP FOCUSING ON
SMALL CORNERS TO MAKE MORE BEAUTIFUL. THE ROOMS I
TACKLED DURING THIS PAST WEEK HAVE ALREADY BROUGHT MUCH
JOY TO OUR FAMILY. IT'S AN EXTREMELY GRATIFYING PROJECT.

I LIKE THE IDEA OF CHOOSING ONE FOCUS IN PARTICULAR OUT OF
LIST OF THINGS WE WANT TO BE PURPOSEFUL IN MAKING A PART OF
OUR DAILY LIVES: MEANINGFUL WORK;IMAGINATIVE PLAY; LIVING
BOOKS; IDEAS TO PONDER AND DISCUSS; ENCOUNTERS WITH
BEAUTY THROUGH ART, MUSIC NATURE, AND I WOULD ADD TO
THIS HOME ARTS AS WELL; AND PRAYER. I THINK LAST YEAR THE
PART OF THE RULE I FOCUSED MOST ON WAS PRAYER. THAT IS
PROBABLY IT WAS SUCH A GOOD YEAR DESPITE ALL THE HICCUPS

http://melisawiley.com./blog/2008/0l/0l/freshstarts/

Friday, December 18, 2009

GDOUNDHOG DAY HISTORY FROM STORMFAX 2009

GROUNDHOG DAY

In 1723, Delaware Indians settled Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania as a campsite halfway between the Allegheny and the Susquehanna Rivers. . The town is 90 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, at the intersection of Route 36 and Route 119. The Delawares considered groundhogs honorable ancestors. According to the original creation beliefs of the Delaware Indians, their forebears began life and animals in “Mother Earth” and emerged centuries later to hunt and live as men.

The namePunxsutawney comes from the Indian name for the location
“ponksad-uteney” which means “the town of the sandflies.”
The name woodchuck comes from the Indian legend of “Wojak,
the groundhog” considered by them to be their ancestral grandfather.

When German settlers arrived in the 1700's, they brought a tradition known as Candlemas Day, which has an early origin in the pagan celebration of Imbolc. It came at the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Superstitution held that if the weather was fair, the second half of Winter would be stormy and cold. For the early Christians in Europe, it was the custom on Candlemas Day for clergy to bless candles and distribute them to the people in the dark of Winter. A lighted candle was placed in each window of the home. The day's weather continued to be important. If the sun came out February 2, halfway between Winter and Spring, it meant six more weeks of wintry weather.

The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day can be found at the Pennysylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College.

February 4, 1841 from Morgantown, Berks County (Pennsylvania) storekeeper James Morris' diary...”Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas Day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

According to the old English saying:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Winter has another flight,
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Winter will not come again.

From Scotland:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There'll be two winters in the year.

From Germany:

For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until May,
For as the snow blows on Cnadlemas Day,
So far will the sun shine before May.

And from America:
If the sun shines on Groundhog Day;
Half the fuel and half the hay.

If the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of Winter. Germans watched a badger for the shadow. In Pennsylvania, the Groundhog, upon waking from mid-Winter hibenation, was selected as the replacement.

Pennsylvania's official celebration of Groundhog Day began on February 2nd, 1886 with a proclamation in the Punxutawney Spirit by tne newspaper's editor, Clymer Freas: “Today is groundhog day and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen its shadow.” The groundhog was given the name “Punxutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Pronisticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary” and his hometown thus called the “Weather Capital of the World.” His debut performance: no shadow – early Spring.

The legendary first trip to Gobbler's Knob was made the following year.

Since the 1993 release of the film Groundhot Day, starring Bill Murray as a TV weatherman (who wakes up and it's Groundhog Day over and over again!) and Andie McDowell as his puzzled producer, attendance at the real event has expanded. In 1997, there were 35,000 visitors in Punxsutawney, five times the Jefferson County town's 6,7000 population.

The Groundhog Day festivities on February 2, 1992 were joined by Bill Murray studying for his role in the movie. Then, Columbia pictures set out to recreate the Punxsutawney Groundhog Day down to the smallest detail. There were, however, many changes made.

Columbia Pictures decided to film the movie in a location more accessible to a major metropolitan center. The highways in and around Punxsutawney were few, so Woodstock, Illinois was chosen as the site. Unfortunately, Woodstock's landscape doesn't have Pennsylvania scenic rolling hills. Nevertheless, adjustments were made for the production. The actual Gobbler's Knob is a wooded hill with a beautiful view; the Gobbler's Knob in the movie is moved to the town square. The Punxsutawney Gobbler's Knob was recreated to scale in Woodstock's town square based on detailed notes and videos the crew made on its visit to Punxsutawney.

The movie's script was changed to include the elaborate ceremony of the Inner Circle on Groundhog Day. The original groundhog cast for the movie was considered to be too small.

Some of the store names in Punxsutawney were used in the movie, such as The Smart Shop and Stewart's Drug Store. Punxsutawney's police cars were also recreated for the movie. The groundhog-head trash cans and Groundhog Festival flags that line the streets of Puxsutawney were displayed. Folks traveling to Punxsutawney to see the “Punxsatawney” they saw in the movie wonder why it looks “so different, yet so similar.”

The groundhog, also known as a woodchuck (Marmota monax) is a member of the squirrel family. Groundhops in the wild eat succulent green plants, such as dandelion, clover, and grasses.

According to handler John Griffiths and Ben Hughes, Phil weights 15 pounds and thrives on dog food and ice cream in his climate-controlled home at the Puxsatawney Library.

1.Up on Gobbler's Knbo, Phil is placed on a heated burrow underneath a simulated tree stage before being pulled out at 7:25 a.m. to make his prediction.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO

These two men got together to form a comedy duo.

They were William (Budd) Abbott and Louis (Lou) Francis Cristillo. They performed together in

A. Film
B. Radio
C. Television

Abbott and Costello were big in the l940’s and l950’s. What made them famous was their skit (WHO’S ON FIRST) routine. Their rapid comebacks is what made them real funny.

Both Abbott and Costello were into burlesque entertainment, in fact they met in a burlesque theater in 1935.

“The Who’s on First routine was first performed in The Kate Smith’s Hour.

After spending some time on The Kate Smith’s Hour, this had made them successful to go out on their own. They made it on Broadway revue by doing their famous routine.

Abbott and Costello then signed up with Universal Studios in 1940, for a film called (One Night in the Tropics) along with their classic routine.

After this Universal Studios signed them up for a long-term contract. Their second film is what made them box office stars. They had made 36 films from the period of 1940 to 1956. This made them the highest paid stars in Hollywood and the most popular during the World War II era.

They also had made other movies that were classics, and that made them more successful than before they were:

A. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
B. Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man

Abbott and Costello still were in the top 10 until 1952. Their take was about 10 million for the movies that they had made.

In 1951 they had moved to live TV. There was rotating hosts:

A. Eddie Cantor
B. Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis

Abbott and Costello then moved into syndication in the late 60’s.

You can get the Abbott and Costello’s DVD’s now.

In the late 50’s Martin and Lewis were discovered by Abbott and Costello. Also by this time their comedy was wearing thin. They found out that Bud Abbott was afraid to do new routines.

In 1957 they had ended their partnership.

Lou Costello had made it big in Las Vegas for awhile. Shortly after that he had died after his 53rd birthday.

Bud Abbott had died in 1974.

In the late 1940’s (Warner Bros’s Looney Toons/Merrie Melodies had made some cartoons:

A. Babbit and Catsello
B. A Tale of Two Kitties (introducing Tweetie Bird)
C. A Tale of Two Mice
D. Mouse-Merized featuring (Mel Blanc)

The comedian Jerry Seinfeld got his inspiration from Abbott and Costello.

Depending on what you’re listening to their famous routine was also called “Baseball”.

When Abbott and Costello were asked to do their routine for radio or television the two could do this without thinking about what they were doing because they knew it so well and did it often enough so they did not have to rehearse it.

The routine of Abbott and Costello’s routine can be heard on “RAIN MAN” and other movies.

The bands The Who and The Guess Who were taken from Who’s on First routine.

Montclair State University had named a hall after Abbott and Costello. This was how popular they were.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

WALT DISNEY WORLD

WALT DISNEY WORLD

I have beren to Wallt Disney World twice. Once with my Grandparents and the other with my ex-husband. Both times I saw something different. I went on a cou-ple of rides with both. My favorite thing was seeing the people dressed up in the cartoon characters. My favorite characters back then were MICKEY MOUSE AND THE TWO CHIPMUNKS (CHIP AND DALE). I was a little disappointed because The Epcot Center was not open both times I was there. I would like to go back there just to see Epcot.

Walt Disney World is located in Florida near Orlando. This is the most visited theme park in the world as with being the largest.

The highlights of this theme park is:

A. The Magic Kingdom
B. Epcot Center
C.Hollywood Studio's
D.Animal Kingdom

There are also 2 water parks and 2 shopping districts.

There are other things in the park that you might enjoy, they are:

A. Golf they're 4 18 hole golf couses
B. Miniature Golf
C.Tennis
D.Boating
E. Spas and Health Clubs
F. Backstage tours
G. Dining with the characters

Walt Disney himself was born in 1901 and had died in 1966. This was before he could see his dream come true. His brother Roy Disney made all this happen in memory if his brother.

Disney World is so large that it would take you a couple of days to see the whole park.

They have rain storms in Florida that last about only 10 minutes. Then the rain stops.

They only close the rides down if the weather is too severe.

There are also some people that are rude and crabby. The thing to do is just to ignore them and try not to let them ruin your vacation.

With the weather being so hot at times it's best that you take a break during the day whether you sit in the shade, sit in an air conditioned place, go back to your hotel room, and come back later when it's not so hot. You could also visit one of the water parks.

The best time to go down to Disney World is during the months of November through April; that is when the weather is much milder. If you like it hot, the time to go down there would be from the months of May through October.

For the people having trouble with sight they have braille books available and for the hearing impaired they have closed captioning available, along with sign language. You can get to Disney World by

A. Plane
B. Car
C.Rent a Cars
D.Taxis
E. Trains
F. Cruise Ships
G. Tour Buses

The ticket price for the park is $79.00 per day for people 10 yrs. and older. Ages from 3-9 is $68.00 per day.

Although frequent visitors to the park get a special rate.

There are several different ways to get around the park:

A. Walk
B. Drive
C.Public transit

All transit vehicles are handicap accessible.

Walking is the best way to get around because you are able to see the sights better.

Epcot Center has a separate admission fee.

The Monorail takes you to different areas to the park and there is more than one Monorail. It depends what place you want to see. Then you take that Monorail.

There is also a parking fee:

A. $14.00 for most vehicles
B. Campers and trailers $15.00
C.Buses and tractor trailers $18.00
D.Parking is free for those whom are staying at one of the resorts
E. And to those who have an annual pass.

If you have traveled by:

A. Plane
B. Train

Here are some rental cars that you can use:

A. Alamo
B. National
C.W.D.W. Car Center
D.Avis
E. Hertz

There are numerous attractions to see and do:

A. Epcot Center
B. Arcades
C.Fire works
D. Parades

The thing to do is to get a tourist guide and plan what you like to see, and go from there.

The Magic Kingdom is a replica on the one in California.

Going clockwise you will see:

A. Cinderella Castle
B. Main Street USA
C.Adventure Land
D.Frontier Land
E. Liberty Square
F. Fantasy Land
G. Mickey's Toontown
H. Tomorrow Land

Food and drink can be costly so it would be wise to bring your own.

Liquor is not allowed in the park anywhere. If you are caught with it you will be removed from the park. They have certain rules you must follow while you are in the park. You must be at a certain height to ride the rides. If you are pregnant you can't go on the rides if you have heart trouble, you are not allowed on the rides either.

If you buy certain souvenirs, be aware because some of them are not allowed on the plane for carry on baggage. They have to be packed in your regular luggage. Or you can have them sent to your home for a charge.

The Mickey dolls are the most popular. Instead of carrying them around with you all day, you can them to package pick-up until you are ready to leave the park.

If you stay at any of the resorts check to see which could be the most value for money.

The least expensive time to go to the park is Januray through mid February. The most expensive is during the holiday season. The prices range anywhere from $82.00 a night to $160.00 per night. If you are a camper you can stay at (Fort Wilderness) for as little as $43.00 per night.

Walt Disney World is a safe area but, in order for your child not to get lost or if your child should get lost it is best to put your childs first and last name on a 3 by 5 card. So in case your child should get separated from you this will make it faster for them to find them faster.

During the warmer weather they suggest that you wear light clothing as to not get over heated. And the also suggest to wear a light jacket as sometimes it does get cool at night.

If you child is not tall enough to go on the ride they have a policy that one adult wants to go on the ride they can go. And, when the ride is through the other adult can go on the ride without having to stand in the line. This is called (Rider Swap)

When it comes to water safety use your common sense. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CHILD UNATTENDED, DO NOT LET THEM RUN ON WET CEMENT, ETC.

For animal safety use your judgment.

If you have traveled with a pet do not leave them in the car. Put in a kennel that isn't as hot as your car or leave the pet in your room.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

MORE JOB TIPS

MORE JOB TIPS

Make sure you match the job description: If you were a 6-foot, 250-pound Frenchman with burly arms and bushy beard, would you apply for the part of Little Orphan Annie on Broadway? However ridiculous that image is, every day in corporate American, thousands of managers shuffle through resumes that are totally unmatched to the position advertised.

Put your interviewer at ease: This is pretty counter inituitive. Most job seekers are prepared to follow the tone set by their interviewer. But that may not be your best plan. A great many intervewers hate interviewing. A job seeker can gain an edge by staying friendly, listening carefully, using body language to indicate amiability, and stressing that he or she gets along with colleagues, Wade says.

Plan before you pursue: Researchers at theUniversity of Missouri recently studied the efforts of 327 job seekers, ages 20 to 40 and found that developing and following a plan at the beginning of a job search has a significant impact on its success. Maybe you set a goal of making 10 phone calls a day or writing for two hours each day.

Take the less desirable job. The recession has shrunk opportunities. Human resources expert Suzanne Lucas suggests that job seekers look for a job that no one else wants when trying to enter a new field. If a position is hard to fill, they may be willing to hire you if you are willing to learn how to do the work, Lucas says.

MORE JOB TIPS

MORE JOB TIPS

Make sure you match the job description: If you were a 6-foot, 250-pound Frenchman with burly arms and bushy beard, would you apply for the part of Little Orphan Annie on Broadway? However ridiculous that image is, every day in corporate American, thousands of managers shuffle through resumes that are totally unmatched to the position advertised.

Put your interviewer at ease: This is pretty counter inituitive. Most job seekers are prepared to follow the tone set by their interviewer. But that may not be your best plan. A great many intervewers hate interviewing. A job seeker can gain an edge by staying friendly, listening carefully, using body language to indicate amiability, and stressing that he or she gets along with colleagues, Wade says.

Plan before you pursue: Researchers at theUniversity of Missouri recently studied the efforts of 327 job seekers, ages 20 to 40 and found that developing and following a plan at the beginning of a job search has a significant impact on its success. Maybe you set a goal of making 10 phone calls a day or writing for two hours each day.

Take the less desirable job. The recession has shrunk opportunities. Human resources expert Suzanne Lucas suggests that job seekers look for a job that no one else wants when trying to enter a new field. If a position is hard to fill, they may be willing to hire you if you are willing to learn how to do the work, Lucas says.

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES

IF TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME

A few weeks ago a woman was killed in an auto accident. She was very liked, so the office shut down for her funeral and it was on the news and so on. On the day the workers came back to work, they found this poem in their e-mail that deceased woman had sent on Friday before she left for home.

If tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see,
If the sun should rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The day you did today,
While thinking of the many things
We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;

But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me by the hand,

And said my place was ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind,
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye,
For all my life, I'd always thought,
I didn't want to die.

I had so much to live for,
So much left yet to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all that we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for a while,
I'd say good-bye and kiss you,
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things,
I might miss some tomorrow,
I thought of you, and when I did,
My heart was filled with sorrow.

When I walked through heaven's gates,
I felt so much at home,
When God looked down and smiled at me,
From His great golden throne.

He said, “This is eternity,
And all I've promised you,
Today your life on earth is past,
But here life starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last,
And since each day is the same way,
There's no longing for the past.

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're fall apart,
For every time you think of me,
I'm right here, in your heart.

Monday, December 7, 2009

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

This national park was established in 1972 by the United States Congress.

Although the park is primarily in Wyoming it extends to Montana and Idaho.

A lot of Native People had lived in that area. Lewis and Clark had missed this part of the region. In the mid 1880’s this region was explored by the United States Army. They were sent there to take care of this park. Later on it was transferred to the (NPSP National Park Service. There were plenty of structures that needed to be protected.

The park spans over a 3,468 square miles. Consisting of:

A. Lakes
B. Canyons
C. Rivers
D. Mountain Ranges

Yellowstone Lake is one of the largest lakes in North America. And is centered over a supervolcano on this continent. The supervolcano called (Caldera) is an active volcano and its last eruption was 2000 million years ago.

This park has a wide variety of reptiles and animals such as:

A. Birds
B. Fish
C. Bears
D. Crocodiles
E. Wolves
F. Elks
G. Deer
H. Bison
I. Buffalo

There are also fires that occur each year. Some are due to careless campers and some of them are due to the act of nature.

There are things to do in the park. And they are:

A. Hiking
B. Boating
C. Camping
D. Fishing
E. Sightseeing
F. Show mobiling in winter

The French trappers at the end of the 18th century named a river (Roche Jaune) with a translation of (Minnetare) which was called (Mitsia-A-Da-Zi) which means “Rock Yellow River”. Later the Americans had renamed it as Yellowstone, for the color of the rocks that are yellow.

The history of the park had begun 11,000 years ago, by the Native Americans the “Paleo Indians” for these Indians lived in this area. During this era they had found some of the weapons they had used along with cutting tools. They had found these items as far east as the Mississippi Valley. When the first explorers during the (Lewis and Clark) era they had found out that there was trading going on, between three tribes:

A. Nez Perce
B. Crow
C. Shoshone

In 1806 a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition had left the group to join a group of trappers. He had later split with the group. He had later passed through the area which would later become Yellowstone National Park. He had gotten in a battle with two of the Indian tribes. He had survived the wounds. He had later told stories of:

A. Boiling mud
B. Steaming Rivers
C. Petrified trees
In an 1856 exploration a mountain man also had described the same findings. When he told of these things the people ignored him for he was known for telling stories. In 1859 a captain from the United States Army went on a 2 year exploration of the Rockies. IN 1860 there was a party of men that had tried to cross the National Divide. This had happened in the early spring when they had to battle heavy snow. This kind of hindered their travels but they still made it through. These were the first men to enter the Yellowstone Region. The Civil War put a hold on this mission.

The first detailed of the expedition in 1869 when a three men team had followed The Yellowstone River down to the Yellowstone Lake. They had kept a journal of where they had been and their findings.

Montana residents had called this region National Park Langford. Separate from the United Army, Hedges who was a member of the Washburn expedition said this region should be set aside and be protected by the National Park Service. A (Cogress man named William D. Kelley also made a suggestion that a bill be passed for this region. (The Great Gayser Basin) to be protected. And be a public park for everyone.

11 years later F.V. Hayden made another attempt to explore this region. This time they had sponsorship. He made more people with him this time. “William Henry Jackson and Thomas Moran convinced the Congress to keep this region from public auction. And with that “Ulysses A. Grant passed a bill that Yellowstone National Park would be free of poachers and trappers.
The House of Representatives and the Congress had gotten together, had put into order that the (Montana and Wyoming) region would be safe from:

A. Settlement
B. Occupancy
C. And sale under the laws of the United States
D. And if anybody would occupy any of this land would be considered trespassers and be removed from the premise. Which was approved in March of 1872.

All of this is signed by:

A. James G. Blaine
B. Schuyler Colfax
C. Ulysses S. Grant

National Langford was the park’s first superintendent. He was in charge for five years. But, he was denied:

A. Salary
B. Funding
C. And Staff
After that he left this land to:

A. Poachers
B. Vandals
C. And others seeking to raid the place

He had then approached the Secretary of the Interior and had reported to them that Yellowstone National Park would become a tourist attraction.

Poachers had entered the area and were going for the hides of these animals.

A. Buffalo
B. Deer
C. Elk
D. Antelopes

They were doing this for money.

The visitor population had increased from 300 in 1872 to 5,000 in 1883. Many visitors were faced with many problems:

A. Poor roads
B. Limited structures
C. Access to the park was on horse or on a stagecoach

Poaching continued until the United States Army had arrived. The next 22 years the army put up permanent structures, and Camp Sheridan, was now Fort Yellowstone.

While the National Park had allowed public access to the park while protecting the wildlife there.

The (NPS) National Park Service was created in 1916. Then the army turned complete control to the NPS in 1918.

In 1915 automobiles were allowed to come into the park. And this was causing problems for the horses. And for the stagecoaches also. As the years went on, horse driven roads were eventually stopped. From the years of 1933 to the year of 1941. The Civilian Conservation Corps had built campgrounds and park roads. But, during World War II the visitation had dwindled. And this left the park in Despair. In the 1950’s the visitation increased. To pull more people in they put in a mission 66 in order. This effect also was to modernize the park and its facilities. This project was done in 1966. The Park’s 50th anniversary. In the late 1980’s the park went back to a more traditional style.

In 1959 Yellowstone Park had suffered from an earthquake. This had done some damage to the park. And with earthquake they had found more geysers and more hot springs. This was one of the most powerful earthquakes to hit this region.

The wildfires of 1988 was also the largest in history. It burned about 763,880 acres, or 36% of the park. And dry weather and the hot temperatures were the cause of this fire. On August of 1988 the strong winds didn’t help the park any. This had caused the fires to spread. And this had burned another 150,000 acres.

About 96% of Yellowstone National Park is in Wyoming, 3% of it is on Montana, and, 1% is in Idaho. Yellowstone National Park is larger than two of the states. One is Rhode Island and the other is Delaware. Yellowstone Lake is 400 feet deep and 100 feet wide. With an altitude of 7, 733 above sea level. And is the Highest Lake in North America. Forests hold most of the Yellowstone which is 80%. The other 20% is all grassland.

The Continental Divide runs diagonally through the southwestern side of the park. This divide separates the two oceans. The Atlantic and the Pacific.

All of these trees are scattered through the park. The White-Bark pine is threatened of distinction because of a fungus.

The severe drought of 1988 had caused a lot of fires, that were uncontrollable. 95% of the park was burned with some areas that were not in the park. 25,000 firefighters and the United States Army had participated in putting out these fires. The loss to the park and surrounding areas were 120 million dollars.

When the snow season came along that had put out the rest of the fires. No civilians were hurt in this fire. But 67 buildings had been destroyed and 2 firefighters were killed.

The highest temperature was 99 degrees in 2002. And the lowest temperature occurred in 1930 and that was in 1933. The normal temperature in Yellowstone is somewhere between 70-80 degrees. While normal temperatures range from 20-below 0 in the winter months. The Spring and Fall months have a temperature between 30-60 degrees.

The average rainfall anywhere from 15-80 inches. Snow can be found at any time of year, with an average of 150 inches.

Tornados are very rare in the park. But there was one that happened in 1987. That tornado was a category 4 with winds exceeding 207 miles per hour. This left a destruction of 2 miles wide and 24 miles long.

Yellowstone is the most visited national park with an average of 2 million people per year. At the height of the tourists season they have 3,700 employees on duty. They consist of:

A. Concessions
B. Hotels
C. Gas stations
D. Stores
E. Campsites
F. And National Park Services
Yellowstone is currently under some road construction.

The National Park Services includes:

A 9 visitors centers
B Museums
C Historical Structures

The National Park places to visit along the way:

A. National Historic Structures

Yellowstone Park basically sits in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. With a range of 9,000 to 11,000 feet. The highest point of the park sits at 11,358 feet, the lowest point sits at 5,282 feet. There are nearby mountain ranges. These are called:

A. Gallitin Range this sits to the Northwest.
B. The Beartooth Mountains sit to the North.
C. The Absaroka range sits to the East.
D. The Teton and Madison Mountain range sit to the southwest and to the west.
The most popular Mountain Range is Mount Washburn that sits at 10,243 feet.
Yellowstone National Park has the largest of the Petrified Forests. These are trees that have been buried by ash and soul that has been transformed from wood to mineral.

Three deep canyons are located in Yellowstone Park. These are:

A. Yellowstone plateau
B. Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
C. Black Canyon
The Yellowstone Park has the largest volcanic system of in North America. And this is super volcano called (Caldera). The last eruption from this volcano was 640,000 years ago. The eruption from this volcano was even larger than the one of Mount St. Helen’s. That had happened in 1980.

There is a popular geyser in Yellowstone also. This one is called Old Faithful and this goes off every hour and half. There are other geysers in this park. They are called:

A. Castle Geyser
B. Lion Geyser
C. Beehive Geyser
D. Steamboat Geyser
Between (Mallard Lake Dome and Sour Creek Dome) these places are slowly showing of some earth movement. Yellowstone has thousands of earthquakes per year. A earthquake has happened in 1959, that had to make a new lake. It’s called, “Earthquake Lake”. When this earthquake had happened 28 people had died and there was extensive damage done to the park.

There over 1,7000 different trees in the park, these are called:

A. Lodgepole Pines
B. Subalpine Fir
C. Englemann Spruce
D. Rocky-mountain Douglas Fir
E. Whitebark Pine

There are a dozen campgrounds with over 2,000 sites. Camping is also available in the surrounding National Forests. These are only accessible by foot or by horse back. Hiking is also available. Camping is only permitted with a permit only in the National Forest.

Hunting is not permitted in the National Forest or the National Park. You may fish in Yellowstone but a license is permitted. The also allow fly fishing. (This is a catch and release). Boating is allowed on a 5 mile distance and this is only allowed on the (LEWIS AND SHOSHONE LAKES) other than that boating is not permitted.

In the early years of tourism. The tourists were encouraged to feed the bears. But after awhile they had found out that injuries were being done to the tourists. So this is not allowed anymore. This was ended to keep the tourists safe.

As I have been to Yellowstone myself I can tell you that this place is an interesting place to see. Especially when Old Faithful goes off. We have even camped in Yellowstone until we had a Grisley Bear decided to get underneath our camper. And that is when we decided to pack our things and leave. We drove almost all night to find a safe place to stay for the night as we were going somewhere else. We could not see because how dark it was outside since there were not any lighted roads.

TOKEN ECONOMIES

TOKEN ECONOMICS

One of the most often used behavior management techniques, especially in setting for students who have learning or behavioral difficulties, is the token economy system. A token economy

involves awarding tokens, chips, stickers, check marks, points, or other items/markings to students who demonstrate desired behaviors identified by the teacher. Students may periodically exchange tokens for awards, which are items or activities desirable to them. It is often compared to a national economic system in which we work for money, which has no value in and of itself, and later exchange it for items and activities that are valuable to us.

Token economies are often quite effective for students who are resistant to other types of motivational or behavior management techniques. Other benefits of this system are ease of administration, the use of immediate reinforcement (tokens) while teaching delayed gratification (holding tokens until trade in time), lack of boredom or satiation for the student due to the availability of a variety of back-up reinforcers, and lack of competition between students as they compete only against themselves.

When a token economy is used for one or a few students only, it is often devised through a contract. Procedures for implementing this variation are presented in the link on the home page (www.BehaviorAdvisor,com) titled “Contracts”.In this version, along with a token economy for groups, tokens are periodically devalued so that the students must perform at a higher level to earn the same value in back-up reinforcers. This stiffening of requirements promotes continual improvement in behavior or performance by the students. Token economies have great flexibility and utility; they have been shown in research studies to be effective with students to display proper behavior, and assures that the teacher will notice appropriate behavior and interact with the student in a positive manner.

How to Use Token Economies

l.Select the behaviors to be rewarded. The behaviors to be reinforced should be in concert with classroom rules and guidelines.
2. State the desired behaviors in specific and observable terms. Phrase them in a positive manner. Be sure to tell the student what to do, rather than what not to do (e.g., “Raise hand before talking” rather than “No speaking out”).
3. Decide how you will measure the behaviors (e.g., percentage correct, number of minutes engaged in proper behavior, number of times a student displaysappropriate behavior).
4.Decide where to monitor the behaviors (e.g., only in the classroom or also in the lunchroom and on the bus).
5.Select the initial reinforcer. Use a reinforcer that is easy to administer and convenient to store. Devise a token/item/marking that will inhibit theft or counterfeiting.
6.Select your back-up reinforcers. Involve your students in the selection to insure that the reinforcers will be perceived as being valuable. (For instance, have the students that they would work to obtain, or complete one of the many published reinforcement inventories, or set out possible reinforcers and observe which ones are selected most often). Be sure that the reinforcers are appropriate. Consider educational value, cost, possible misuse, or danger involved.
7.Place a price (in tokens) on your back-up reinforcers. Record the actual price of any purchased items. Higher priced items will demand more tokens. Place a value on back-up reinforcers (the rewards) that are activity-oriented such as free time, listening to music, or painting. Develop a wall chart that lists the number of tokens needed to purchase each back-up reinforcer.
8.Place a value on the tokens. Give the tokens a value that is worth more now than in the future. As students begin to function more apapropriately, tokens will have to be devalued to motivate the kids to improve continually. Next, develop a wall chart that lists the number of tokens to be given for each desired behavior, and decide whether inappropriate behavior will result only in a withholding of tokens or whether you will place a fine and take away tokens for that misconduct. If the latter is the case, make a wall chart that indicates the amount to be fined for each misbehavior.
9.Finalize the details by developing your own monitoring sheet to keep track of rewards and fines, and deciding how often and when tokens can be exchanged for back-up reinforcers (e.g., at the end of each day, at the end of each week). Develop storage containers, procedures for yourself and the students and devise a method for displaying the back-up reinforcers.
10.Start your program. Have the materials ready to show to students as you explain the program in language that they can understand. Make your presentation very positive and upbeat. Post the wall charts and review them periodically.
11.Implement the program, providing the tokens as soon as they are earned. Add to your back-up reinforcer mean as necessary.
.11.Periodically modify your system to wean your students from the token economy. This change usually revolves requiring most positive behavior for a longer period of time in order to obtain a check mark or token.

Activities and Discussion Questions

1.List twenty-five items that could be used as tokens in a token economy.
2.Make a reinforcement inventory to determine the rewards desired by your students. Use open-ended sentences (e.g., “If I had 15 minutes of free time, I would like to...”) and choices (e.g., “Given free time, which would you rather do? (a) talk with a friend; (b) play a game; © read; (d) listen to music). List only those choices that you would allow in your classroom.
3.3. Complete steps 1 through 9 in the above section titled How to Use Token Economies. Make all the materials and indicate which items you would use for tokens and back-up reinforcers. Write your spoken introduction of the system to the students.
4.With another person, role play the introduction to the youngsters regarding the new program.
5.A parent feels that your token economy is bribery. How do you respond to this parent?
6.Hamilton comes to you to report that someone stole his tokens. How can you prevent theft from occurring in the future?
7.You caught Jeff bringing poker chips from home that look like the ones you use to reinforce students. You had this problem once before when you gave check marks and the students made their own. How can you prevent this behavior?
8.Is it fair to take away tokens that have already been earned by the student? Shouldn't he be able to keep tokens he has earned previously by displaying appropriate behavior?

RESOURCES

For examples of charts and how to set them up, go to: www.latitudes.org/behavioral_charts.html

Thursday, December 3, 2009

HOW TO LEAVE THE PAST IN THE PAST

THE BOWERY BOYS

I had watched this program as I was growing up. I really can’t tell you whom my favorite character was. I guess it was a toss up between “slip and satch moe” as he was called sometimes.

The Bowery Boys were a group of men who got together to form a comedy team. The original cast was:

A. Leo Gorcey
B. Hintz Hall
C. Bobby Jordan
D. Gabriel Dell
E. Bernard Punsley

These actors made films and sitcoms.

They were also called by other names too:

A. Little Tough Guys
B. Dead End Kids
C. Little Touch Guys
D. East Side Kids

Little Tough Guys was owned by Universal Studios. And were making their own version of The Bowery Boys. They only made three flims. And they had made some Chapter series also.

THE EAST SIDE KIDS (DEAD END KIDS) were owned by Warner Brothers. And they were released from their contract. They had picked up two other characters and these were:

A. Jodarn
B. The Gorcey Brothers Leo and David
C. Hally Chester

They were star in a movie called (SUNNY SUNSHINE) that were using some of the original characters of the Bowery Boys.

Leo Gorcey was released from his contract after a 40% raise in his salary.

The original Bowery Boys had talked to their own agent. This include:

A Grippo
B. Gorcey
C. Hall

Since Gorcey had owned 40% of the company, they had new scripts. With a different hang out. Now they were hanging out at (LOUIE’S SWEET SHOP). And, it all revolved them hanging around the Sweet Shop. And they hung around there until some kind of adventure came up.

The main Characters in this now were:

A. Terrence Aloysius (Slip Mahoney) played by Leo Gorcey
B. Horace Debussy (Satch Moe as he was called sometimes) Jones Huntz
C. Whitey played by (Billy Benedict)
D. Chuck (played by David Gorcey
E. Butch (played by Bennie Bartlett, sometimes being played by Buddy Gorman)

The Malt shop’s owner was played by (Bernard Gorcey) whom was Leo and David’s father.

Some of the cast members left the series because of something, Bobby Jordan left because of being hurt by an eleavator, some left because they were not happy with the series, “SAMMY SUNSHINE” known as (SCRUNO) just decided not to come back so he took a long vacation from acting.

In the 1950’s Abbott and Costello were coming into the comedy sector along with the Three Stooges.

After the Bowery Boys were fading out Huntz Hall became the costar to show his abilities. Now the story revolved around 3 or 4 boys, Satch Huntz Hall to become into view more often, with some of his zany characteristics such as:

A. Becoming a psychic
B. Champion Wrestler
C. Singer

Unlike the streetwise “Abbott and Costello”, Gorcey and Hall became close as a comedy team. They started more into slapstick comedy.

In 1955 Bernard Gorcey had been in an auto accident that had killed him. This left his sons greatly affected. Leo became in a heated argument with “Allied Artists”. He wanted another 40% increase in his pay. They denied him of this so he had quit.

THE BOWERY BOYS

THE BOWERY BOYS

I had watched this program as I was growing up. I really can’t tell you whom my favorite character was. I guess it was a toss up between “slip and satch moe” as he was called sometimes.

The Bowery Boys were a group of men who got together to form a comedy team. The original cast was:

A. Leo Gorcey
B. Hintz Hall
C. Bobby Jordan
D. Gabriel Dell
E. Bernard Punsley

These actors made films and sitcoms.

They were also called by other names too:

A. Little Tough Guys
B. Dead End Kids
C. Little Touch Guys
D. East Side Kids

Little Tough Guys was owned by Universal Studios. And were making their own version of The Bowery Boys. They only made three flims. And they had made some Chapter series also.

THE EAST SIDE KIDS (DEAD END KIDS) were owned by Warner Brothers. And they were released from their contract. They had picked up two other characters and these were:

A. Jodarn
B. The Gorcey Brothers Leo and David
C. Hally Chester

They were star in a movie called (SUNNY SUNSHINE) that were using some of the original characters of the Bowery Boys.

Leo Gorcey was released from his contract after a 40% raise in his salary.

The original Bowery Boys had talked to their own agent. This include:

A Grippo
B. Gorcey
C. Hall

Since Gorcey had owned 40% of the company, they had new scripts. With a different hang out. Now they were hanging out at (LOUIE’S SWEET SHOP). And, it all revolved them hanging around the Sweet Shop. And they hung around there until some kind of adventure came up.

The main Characters in this now were:

A. Terrence Aloysius (Slip Mahoney) played by Leo Gorcey
B. Horace Debussy (Satch Moe as he was called sometimes) Jones Huntz
C. Whitey played by (Billy Benedict)
D. Chuck (played by David Gorcey
E. Butch (played by Bennie Bartlett, sometimes being played by Buddy Gorman)

The Malt shop’s owner was played by (Bernard Gorcey) whom was Leo and David’s father.

Some of the cast members left the series because of something, Bobby Jordan left because of being hurt by an eleavator, some left because they were not happy with the series, “SAMMY SUNSHINE” known as (SCRUNO) just decided not to come back so he took a long vacation from acting.

In the 1950’s Abbott and Costello were coming into the comedy sector along with the Three Stooges.

After the Bowery Boys were fading out Huntz Hall became the costar to show his abilities. Now the story revolved around 3 or 4 boys, Satch Huntz Hall to become into view more often, with some of his zany characteristics such as:

A. Becoming a psychic
B. Champion Wrestler
C. Singer

Unlike the streetwise “Abbott and Costello”, Gorcey and Hall became close as a comedy team. They started more into slapstick comedy.

In 1955 Bernard Gorcey had been in an auto accident that had killed him. This left his sons greatly affected. Leo became in a heated argument with “Allied Artists”. He wanted another 40% increase in his pay. They denied him of this so he had quit.

THE GRAND CANYON

THE GRAND CANYON

The Grand Canyon is in Arizona and it is layers of rocks on top of one another. Something like building blocks.

I have seen the Grand Canyon twice in my life. Once with my Grandparents and other time with my own brothers and parents. This is really a sight to see and it is hard to describe. It think it is really neat. But, I can tell you that it is very windy up there and you do not want to stand close to the edge of the rock. Because, from the force of the wind can blow you right over. And some of the Canyons have an immediate drop off. I would suggest to everyone that if they have a chance to go and see the Grand Canyon.

Folklore has it that the Canyon was where the dinosaurs had lived. Other sources say that the Canyon was caused by water erosion.

The largest Canyon is called (Kanab Canyon). This canyon is 144 miles long and runs through the other Canyon. And is, below Lee’s Ferry, Arizona along with Grand Canyon Village. This a creation of (GODS) handy work. This goes all the way up to the Colorado Plateau as it creates a beautiful scenery, as this goes to the Shiva Mesa which has steep rock wall with a 300 acreage long. The top of this is very steep and is about 1,000 feet down to the desert.

Some scientists are saying that the Grand Canyon is not a million years old. And they say that this place was made of water erosion.

MOUNT RUSHMORE

MOUNT RUSHMORE

As I have seen this place twice in my lifetime. I want to say the Presidents’ faces carved out of stone are really unique. I was really fortunate not only to see this once, but twice. Here are some things that every one should know about MOUNT RUSHMORE.

Mount Rushmore is a National Monument. And it is carved from petrified wood which is Granite. This was sculpted by a man from Germany. From 2967-1941. This is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, in the United States.

The heads of these sculptures are 60 feet tall and were all of former Presidents. The heads on the monument are:

A. GEORGE WASHINGTON 2732-1799
B. THOMAS JEFFERSON 1743-1826
C. THEODORE ROOSEVELT 1858-1919
D. ABRAHAM LINCOLN 1809-1865

These dates are when the Presidents were born and the dates of their deaths.

This entire focal point is the acreage it covers and the distance in feet. The entire Monument is 1,278,45 acres. And is 5,275 feet above sea level.

The Monument is taken care of by two different groups. They are:

A. National Park Service
B. United States Department of the Interior

Mount Rushmore attracts about 2 million people any given year.

The idea of the construction began in 1927, and had ended in 1941. The monument was named after a New York Lawyer. His name was Charles E. Rushmore.

Mount Rushmore is near the city of Keystone.

Between the years of 1927 and 1941 the German constructionist had 400 people working with him to assist him with the carvings of each President. These Presidents’ faces represent 150 years of presidency.

It took a lot of skill to get these sculptures done perfectly. If it was not suitable to their liking they would blow them up and start over again.

In 1933 an engineer named (Julian Spotts) had built something like a ski lift to get to the top of the mountain. To make it easier to get the work done. And this would keep them safe so they would not fall and hurt themselves.

Each time a President’s face was finished, they would hand it over to the National Park Service for their dedication. They were dedicated in this order:

A. GEORGE WASHINGTON in 1936
B. THOMAS JEFFERSON in 1936
C. ABRAHAM LINCOLN in 1937
D. THEODORE ROOSEVELT in 1939

The entire cost of this project cost 989,992.32. For doing this kind of work, none of the sculptures were injured in the progress. And this within itself was a miracle in progress.

In October of 1966, Mount Rushmore was officially dedicated and put into one of the National Historical places to visit.

There is a vault behind the Presidents’ heads. And this contains the DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE ALONG WITH THE CONSTITUTION. This was finished in 1998.

They are planning some redevelopment around the visitors’ center and walkways around the Monument. The maintenance of all of this is a must, and requires people to clean the area up, along with going up to the Monument itself to see if there are any cracks that need to be repaired. So far this only has been done once since the Monument had been finished. And that was in 2005. And it was done for free. They powerwashed it by using water at 200 degrees.

There has been some controversy among the (LAKOTA INDIAN TRIBE). Because the United States had taken over the area. After the (SIOUX AND THE LAKOTA) war in 1876-1877. The United States had taken over the land to make a landmark for all to see, along with future generations. The Lakota Tribe had considered this place a spiritual area.

The Lakota Holy One (JOHN FIRE LAME DEER) had put a prayer staff atop the mountain symbolizing that this place be dirty until a written arrangement would be fulfilled.

In 2004 the first Native American was made to look after the grounds. He had made a statement saying “That the four Presidents are only one focal point of the area. He wants a memorial to be constructed to remember the famous Native American Leader which is (CRAZY HORSE). He also wants it to be larger than Mount Rushmore. However this had to be rejected as the funds were not available. There is also controversy within the Native community saying that the person whom thought of the idea of building Mount Rushmore was a KKK member.

The region around the Monument is the same as the surrounding area. It has the same plant and animals such as:

A. Turkey vultures
B. Grizzly beass
C. Coyotes
D. Bald Eagles
E. Hawks and many more

The smaller animals make their nests atop the Mountain and surrounding ledges. Such as:

A. Squirrels
B. Woodpeckers
C. Nuthatches
D. Along with other small animals

There are two brooks in the area also:

A. The Grizzly Bear
B. The Starling Basin

Which harbor many kinds of fish in them to name a few:

A. Brook Trout
B. The Long Nose Dace
C. Bass

The native plants and flowers to this region are:

A. Ponderosa Pine
B. Bur Oak
C. Black Hills Spruce
D. Cottonwood

The flowers are:

A. Snapdragon
B. Sunflower
C. Violet

The area in higher elevation does not get enough precipitation where the lower levels do. When it rains or snows it runs off the top and ends up on the bottom. The lower levels have Limestone and Sandstone that holds the water in.

There are fires in the Higher region for the lack of precipitation, and it for being so dry.

The Monument is made up of a group of minerals. Mostly granite because it is a smooth surface and easy to carve.

Mount Rushmore is the region in the Black Hills region.

Mount Rushmore is the second largest tourism site in the United States.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

DEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

This park is located in central California. And this really is a sight to see. The redwoods are really huge. You can drive through some of them.

This park was founded after the Yellowstone Park. They found this one in 1890. This park is about 13,000 feet above sea level. Some parts are higher, and some parts are lower. This park has a highest elevation of 14,505 feet in the lower forty-eight states. And this is called Mount Whitney.

This park is actually two parks together:

A. Seequoia National Park
B. Kings Canyon

The combined names is called Sequoia and King Canyon.

The Sequoia is famous for its large trees. The General Sherman is one of the largest trees also. The General Sherman is still growing. And this is one of the five out of ten that is the largest trees in the world, by wood volume. The Giant Forest if connected to the General’s Highway which is connected to (Kings Canyon), national park. Along with other trees. The total acreage of the parks between Sequoia and Kings Canyon is 202, 340.

You enter there near the town of Ash Mountain which has the highest elevation point of anywhere from to 5,500 to 9,000 feet.

Most of the Sequoia Park and King’s Canyon Park is accessible by foot, or by horse.

There are many different kinds of plants and tress there, some are:
A. Blue Oak
B. Chaparell
C. Yucca Plants

This region also has an abundant of animals also:

A. Bobcats
B. Foxes
C. Mountain Lions
D. Ground squirrels and many others

This used to be the home of the (Monachee Indian Tribe). They found out that this tribe would travel to the east to do some traveling with different tribes.

When the Eastern Europeans had settled into this region, there was a case of small pox and that had wiped out most of this Indian Tribe.

Cutting down trees (or logging) is not allowed in this forest or any other National Park.

This Park has expanded over the years. The most recent expansion was that of the WALT DISNEY CORP., they had made this expansion to a ski resort.

This has over 240 caves and possibly more. The longest cave is called (LILBURN CAVE) and is over 20 miles long. But, there is only one cave that is open to the public. And this one is called (CRYSTAL CAVE) and this one is 3.4 miles long.

Most caves are found in the lower elevations. Although, some of the caves are found at higher levels. Some of these caves have streams in them some of what are sinking streams. There are some caves that have been discovered each year. The most recent cave was found in 2006.

This park offers a variety of different attractions and they are:

A. Backpackers
B. Hikers
C. Camping with permit only
D. A tree that you can drive through
E. And many more

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN WITH DAD
BY SHIRLEY S. WANG

Conventional wisdom holds that two parents are better than one. Scientists are now finding that growing up without a father actually changes the way your brain develops.

German biologist Anna Katharina Braun and others are conducting research on animals that are typically raised by two parents, in the hopes of better understanding the impact of being raised by a single parent. Dr. Braun’s work focuses on degus, small rodents related to guinea pigs and chinchillas, because mother and father degus naturally raise their babies together.

When deprived of their father, the degu pups exhibit both short- and long-term changes in nerve-cell growth in different regions of the brain. Dr. Braun, director of the Institute of Biology over at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, and her colleagues also are looking at how these physical changes affect offspring behavior.

Their preliminary analysis indicates that fatherless degu pups exhibit more aggressive and impulsive behavior more than pups [which were] raised by two parents.

In a study the researchers presented the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago earlier this month and recently published in the journal Neuroscience, half the degu pups were raised with two parents, while the others were raised by a single mother, the father having been removed from the cage one day after the birth of his offspring.

The researchers then looked at the neurons—cells that send and receive messages between the brain and the body—of some pups at day 21, around the time they were weaned from their mothers, and others at day 90, which is considered adulthood for the species.

Neurons have branches, known as dendrites that conduct electrical signals received from other nerve cells to the body, or trunk, of the neuron. The leaves of the dendrites are protruisions called dendritic spines that receive messages and serve as the contact between neurons.

Dr. Braun’s group found that at 21 days, the fatherless animals had less dense dentritic spines compared to animals raised by both parents, though they “caught up” by day 90. However, the length of some types of dendrites was significantly shorter in some parts of the brain, even in adulthood, in fatherless animals.

The neuronal differences were observed in a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is related to emotional responses and fear, and the orbit frontal cortex, or OFC, the brain’s decision-making center.

‘A Horse Without a Rider’

The balance between these two brain parts is critical to normal emotional and cognitive functioning, according to Dr. Braun. If OFC isn’t active, the amgdala “goee crazy, like a horse without a rider,” she says. In the case of the fatherless pups, there were dentritic spinesin the OFC, while the dendrite trees in the amygdala grew more and longer branches.

A preliminary analysis of the dengus’ behavior showed that fatherless animals seem to have a lack of impulse control, Dr. Braun says. And, when they played with siblings, they engaged in more play—fighting or aggressive behavior.

Of course, the frontal cortex—where thinking and decision-making taking place—is more complex in humans than it is in other animals. Thus, says Dr. Braun, it is important to be “really careful” about extrapolating the recent findings to human populations.

“The minute you get into stuff with extensive social and environmental components, the social differences between humans and animals are massive,” says Simon Chapple, a senior economist in the social policy division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the 30-country grouping of the world’s largest economies.

It remains an “open verdict” whether single parenthood causes these bad outcomes, or is merely associated with them, says Dr. Chapple.

Risk of Delinquency

Still, the prevalence of single-parent households has researchers looking at possible consequences for children. An OECD report found that just 57% of children in the U.S. live with both parents, among the lowest percentages of the world’s richest nations.

The report, which sparked some controversy when it was released in September, found that children in single-parent households have an increased risk of delinquency and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, as well as poorer scholastic performance.

Dr. Braun’s goal for future research is to figure out whether degu pups’ brains can be rewired by introducing a substitute caregiver, such as a grandmother, or whether other social and emotional enrichment can help “repair” the fatherless pups, she says. Human children may be sent to day care, for instance, which can help them form stable friendships with their peers and other adults.

The bottom line, says Dr. Braun, is that parents need to fuel their children’s brains with talk, touch and sensitive stimulation that involves give and take.

“Parents,” she says, “are the sculptors of their children’s brains.”

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN WITHOUT DAD

THIS IS YOUR BRAIN WITH DAD
BY SHIRLEY S. WANG

Conventional wisdom holds that two parents are better than one. Scientists are now finding that growing up without a father actually changes the way your brain develops.

German biologist Anna Katharina Braun and others are conducting research on animals that are typically raised by two parents, in the hopes of better understanding the impact of being raised by a single parent. Dr. Braun’s work focuses on degus, small rodents related to guinea pigs and chinchillas, because mother and father degus naturally raise their babies together.

When deprived of their father, the degu pups exhibit both short- and long-term changes in nerve-cell growth in different regions of the brain. Dr. Braun, director of the Institute of Biology over at Otto von Guericke University in Magdeburg, and her colleagues also are looking at how these physical changes affect offspring behavior.

Their preliminary analysis indicates that fatherless degu pups exhibit more aggressive and impulsive behavior more than pups [which were] raised by two parents.

In a study the researchers presented the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago earlier this month and recently published in the journal Neuroscience, half the degu pups were raised with two parents, while the others were raised by a single mother, the father having been removed from the cage one day after the birth of his offspring.

The researchers then looked at the neurons—cells that send and receive messages between the brain and the body—of some pups at day 21, around the time they were weaned from their mothers, and others at day 90, which is considered adulthood for the species.

Neurons have branches, known as dendrites that conduct electrical signals received from other nerve cells to the body, or trunk, of the neuron. The leaves of the dendrites are protruisions called dendritic spines that receive messages and serve as the contact between neurons.

Dr. Braun’s group found that at 21 days, the fatherless animals had less dense dentritic spines compared to animals raised by both parents, though they “caught up” by day 90. However, the length of some types of dendrites was significantly shorter in some parts of the brain, even in adulthood, in fatherless animals.

The neuronal differences were observed in a part of the brain called the amygdala, which is related to emotional responses and fear, and the orbit frontal cortex, or OFC, the brain’s decision-making center.

‘A Horse Without a Rider’

The balance between these two brain parts is critical to normal emotional and cognitive functioning, according to Dr. Braun. If OFC isn’t active, the amgdala “goee crazy, like a horse without a rider,” she says. In the case of the fatherless pups, there were dentritic spinesin the OFC, while the dendrite trees in the amygdala grew more and longer branches.

A preliminary analysis of the dengus’ behavior showed that fatherless animals seem to have a lack of impulse control, Dr. Braun says. And, when they played with siblings, they engaged in more play—fighting or aggressive behavior.

Of course, the frontal cortex—where thinking and decision-making taking place—is more complex in humans than it is in other animals. Thus, says Dr. Braun, it is important to be “really careful” about extrapolating the recent findings to human populations.

“The minute you get into stuff with extensive social and environmental components, the social differences between humans and animals are massive,” says Simon Chapple, a senior economist in the social policy division of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the 30-country grouping of the world’s largest economies.

It remains an “open verdict” whether single parenthood causes these bad outcomes, or is merely associated with them, says Dr. Chapple.

Risk of Delinquency

Still, the prevalence of single-parent households has researchers looking at possible consequences for children. An OECD report found that just 57% of children in the U.S. live with both parents, among the lowest percentages of the world’s richest nations.

The report, which sparked some controversy when it was released in September, found that children in single-parent households have an increased risk of delinquency and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, as well as poorer scholastic performance.

Dr. Braun’s goal for future research is to figure out whether degu pups’ brains can be rewired by introducing a substitute caregiver, such as a grandmother, or whether other social and emotional enrichment can help “repair” the fatherless pups, she says. Human children may be sent to day care, for instance, which can help them form stable friendships with their peers and other adults.

The bottom line, says Dr. Braun, is that parents need to fuel their children’s brains with talk, touch and sensitive stimulation that involves give and take.

“Parents,” she says, “are the sculptors of their children’s brains.”

Monday, November 30, 2009

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING AN INTERVIEW

QUESTIONS TO ASK DURING AN INTERVIEW

The interviewer wants to evaluate your compatibility with the position you are interviewing for. Make your answer relevant to the job requirements. General reasons such as new challenges, interacting with people, growth and learning opportunities, using your initiative, working as part of a team and meeting set objectives and goals are usually applicable to most job opportunities.

Highlight the reason and make it more specific by quoting an example. “I enjoyed having to using my initiative. I have implemented and improved a number of systems including the order processing system.”

What do you like least about your current or last job?

What typical interview questions like this be careful that the dislikes you talk about do not refer to specific characteristic of the job opportunity you are interviewing for. Stay away from reasons such as overtime and salary. Avoid crisicism of your boss, management or co-workers. Be general and refer to the lack of or absence of what you seek in a job or work environment.

For example, “There was very little opportunity for me to use my initiative. I regard this as one of my strengths and found it frustrating that I was unable to get past the bureaucracy of such a big company to implement any improvements. That is why I am enthusiastic about working for a smaller company like this which I know encourages employees to use their iniative.”
Or
“There was a lack of growth opportunities in such as small company. One of the reasons I am so interested in your company is that it is a much larger organization with formal career planning structures in place.”

This way you emphasize why you are a suitable candidate for this job and company as well as turning into a compliment for the company you are interviewing with.

How to answer the question “What do you like and dislike about the sales job?”

How would you describe your previous manager/boss/supervisor

When answering typical interview questions about previous managers avoid saying anything that can be interpreted as negative. It sends up a red flag about your attitude to authority and supervision. Even is there is something truly negative about your boss rather try to find something positive to focus on. The answer you give should be fact-based and not just your opinion.

For example: “My manager was very experienced, he had managed a number of big call centers over the past 12 years. He liked his staff to be able to work independently and I had to learn quickly to become independent about analyzing problems and finding solutions.”

In this answer you are stating a positive face about your boss, his amount of experience. You are also turning a possible negative about your boss, his lack of support, into a positive about you. You have not criticized your boss and you have taken the opportunity to be proactive and deal with a situation.

Use these sample answers to help prepare your own good interview answers to these typical interview questions. You will stand out as the professional and prepared job candidate.

Prepare for other common interview questions using our recommended sample answers and interview answer guidelines.

More Typical Interview Questions

How would your co-workers describe you?

What motivates you in your job?

Describe your ideal job

How do you handle conflict?

What has been the most difficult situation you have faced?

Friday, November 27, 2009

NINE TIPS FOR MAKING YOURSELF FEEL BETTER IN A CRISIS

SHINE YOUR LIGHT—UNCOVER YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

We all are born with an inner light. It's a gift of spirit...a magical glow of innate gifts and abilities that make up a large part of who we will grow into being.

What do you feel most passionately about? What are your natural gifts that set you above and apart from the rest?

This inner light is often dimmed by the reality of being human in a human world. Have you lost touch with these gifts as you have made your choices in life, and worked through your challenges? Look inside for a moment to find out.

Step 1. In a quiet place and time, and ask yourself: “Who am I, really?”

Allow your mind to wander back to the happiest moments of your life. If you could have, you would have frozen that moment! Relive that moment with the understanding that you were in your true self.

Step 2. Explore your authentic self

There's nobody else in your head with you, so go into yourself as deeply as you can. This is the place and time where you can rediscover yourself, what you've buried or suppressed...
And ponder how powerful you can be if you allow yourself to shine once more.

Step 3. Acknowledge your personal truths in a list

Make a list of your talents and passions, paying particular attention to those things that bring you joy, as well as those things than no one can do better than you can.

Step 4. Imagine living your gifts

Now that you have acknowledged some of the potential and aspirations that you have been holding deep inside of you, imagine how different your life could be if you granted yourself permission to let your inner light shine through!

Step 5. Embrace your gifts every day

Sure, it's a risk to open up and share what you have inside, but your greatest challenges and accomplishments aren't measured by what you've done—they are waiting to be formed by what you do. The light we are born with is always within us; we just have to tap into it and let it glow. When you believe in yourself, others will as well.

SHINE YOUR LIGHT-UNCOVER YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

SHINE YOUR LIGHT—UNCOVER YOUR AUTHENTIC SELF

We all are born with an inner light. It's a gift of spirit...a magical glow of innate gifts and abilities that make up a large part of who we will grow into being.

What do you feel most passionately about? What are your natural gifts that set you above and apart from the rest?

This inner light is often dimmed by the reality of being human in a human world. Have you lost touch with these gifts as you have made your choices in life, and worked through your challenges? Look inside for a moment to find out.

Step 1. In a quiet place and time, and ask yourself: “Who am I, really?”

Allow your mind to wander back to the happiest moments of your life. If you could have, you would have frozen that moment! Relive that moment with the understanding that you were in your true self.

Step 2. Explore your authentic self

There's nobody else in your head with you, so go into yourself as deeply as you can. This is the place and time where you can rediscover yourself, what you've buried or suppressed...
And ponder how powerful you can be if you allow yourself to shine once more.

Step 3. Acknowledge your personal truths in a list

Make a list of your talents and passions, paying particular attention to those things that bring you joy, as well as those things than no one can do better than you can.

Step 4. Imagine living your gifts

Now that you have acknowledged some of the potential and aspirations that you have been holding deep inside of you, imagine how different your life could be if you granted yourself permission to let your inner light shine through!

Step 5. Embrace your gifts every day

Sure, it's a risk to open up and share what you have inside, but your greatest challenges and accomplishments aren't measured by what you've done—they are waiting to be formed by what you do. The light we are born with is always within us; we just have to tap into it and let it glow. When you believe in yourself, others will as well.

Psychiatric Hospital

PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A psychiatric hospital, also known as an asylum, is a hospital specializing in the treatment of serious mental illness, usually for relatively long-term patients.

Psychiatric institutions vary widely in their goals and methods. Some hospitals may specialize only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients. Others may specialize in the temporary or permanent care of residents who as a result of a psychological disorder, require routine assistance, treatment or a specialized or controlled environment. Patients are often admitted on a voluntary basis, but involuntary commitment is practiced when an individual may pose a significant danger to themselves or others.

History

Court judges pressured the UK Government, resulting in an Act of Parliament – The Madhouse Act -1928, allowing the building of purpose-built asylums, the first of which the 1st Middlesex Country Asylum was at Hanwell in West London and opened its doors in late 1831.

Intitially these early asylums were little more than repositories for the mentally ill; removing them from mainstream society in the same manner as a jail would for criminals. Conditions were often extremely poor and serious treatment was not yet an option. At this time there was minimal understanding of mental health issues and treatment methods were in the early stages of development. Patients were often offered inaccurate treatments resulting in fatality or outstanding injury.

By region

Europe

Phillipe Pinel (1793) is often credited as being the first in Europe to introduce more humane methods into the treatmet of the mentally ill (which came to be known as moral treatment) as the superintendent of Asylum de Bicetre in Paris. A hospital employee of Asylum de Becetre, Jean-Baptiste Pussin, was actually the first one to remove patient restraints. Pussin influenced Pinel and they both served to spread reforms such as categorising the disorders, as well as observing and talking to patients as methods of cure. Vincenzo Chiarugi in Italy may have banned chains before this time. Johann Jakob Guggenbuhl in 1840 started in Interlaken the first retreat for mentally disabled children.

In the U.K. The Beeches was most famously and recently seen in a British soap opera, BBC Birmingham's daytime soap Doctors, when Ruth Pearce, played by Selina Chilton went mad. Around the same time as Pussin and Pinel, the Quakers, particularly William Tuke, pioneered an enlightened approach (moral treatment) in England at the York Retreat. The Retreat was not a psychiatric hospital, and in fact the medical approaches of the day were abandoned in favor of understanding, hope, moral responsibility and occupational therapy. The Brattledoro Retreat and the former Hartford Retreat were named after it.

In 1817 a William Ellis was appointed as superintendent in the newly built West Riding Pauper Asylum at Wakefield. A Methodist, he too had strong religious convictions and with his wife as matron they put into action those things they had learnt from the Sculcoates Refuge in Hull which was run on a similar model as the York Retreat. After 13 years their reputation had become such, that they were then invited to run the newly built first pauper asylum in Middlesex called the Hanwell Asylum. Accepting the posts, the asylum opened in May 1831. Here the Ellis' introduced their own brand of humane treatment and 'moral therapy' combined with 'therapeutic employment'. As its initial capacity was for 450 patients it was already the largest asylum in the country and subject to even more building soon after. Therefore, the immediate and continuing success of humane therapy working on such a large scale, encouraged its adoption at other asylums. In recognition of all this work he received a knighthood. He continued to develop therapeutic treatments for mental disorders and always with moral treatment as the guiding principle.

In Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, Robert Gardiner Hill with the support of Edward Parker Charlesworth, developed a mode of treatment that suited 'all types' of patients, where by the reliance on mechanical restraints and coercion could be made obsolete altogether, a situation, he finally achieved in 1838.

By the following year of 1839 Sergeant John Adams and Dr. John Conoly was so impressed by the work of Hill, that they immediately introduced the method into their Hanwell Asylum, which was by then the largest in the kingdom. The greater size required Hill's system to be developed and refined. This was necessary as it was beyond Conolly to be able to supervise each attendant as closely as Hill had done. Even so, he bid a pair of extra soft slippers made so that he could walk around the building at night without his foot falls warning the attendance of his immenent approach. By September 1839, mechanical restraint was no longer required for any patient. For years, this day was remembered at the Hanwell asylum by a celebration on its anniversary. Hanwell also was a very accomplished communication and wrote and lectured widely about his work in mental health.

By such means these and others, more effective treatment methods gradually took hold in different countries, and attitude towards the treatment of the mentally ill began to drastically improve during the mid-l9th century. Courts began to administer involuntary commitments with a greater eye towards medical justification.

Bethlem Royal Hospital

Main article: Bethlem Royal Hospital

Bethlam Royal Hospital (Bedlam) was the first known psychiatric hospital in Europe, founded in London in 1547. It soon became infamous for its treatment of the insane, and in the eighteenth century outsiders would pay a penny to come and watch their patients as a form of entertainment. In 1700 it is recorded that the “lunatics” were called “patients” for the first time, and within twenty years separate wards for the “curable” and “incurable” patients had been established. The institution was still a coercive and brutal regime when William Battle criticized its practices in his treatise in 1785. By 1815 thousands of visitors were still being permitted in to view the “unfortunates” as they were by then called.

Middle East

Main article: Islamic psychology

Unlike medieval Christian physicians who relied largely on dmonological explanations for mental illness and treatment, medieval Muslim physicians and psychologists relied mostly on clinical observations. Such scholars made significant advances to psychiatry and were the first to provide psychotherapy and major treatment for mentally ill patients, in addition to other forms of treatment such as baths, drug medication, music therapy and occupational therapy.

In the 10th century, the Persian physician Muhammed ibn Zakariya Razi (Rhazes) combined psychological methods and psychological explanations to provide treatment to mentally ill patients. His contemporary, the Arab physician Najab ud-din Muhammed, first described a number of mental illnesses such as agitated depression, neurosis, and sexual impotence (nahkhae alikholia), psychosis (Kutrib) and mania Dual-kulb).

In the 11th century, another Persian physician Avicenna recognized 'physiological psychology' in the treatment of illnesses involving emotions, and developed a system for associating changes in the pulse rate with inner feelings, which is seen as a precursor to the word association test developed by Carl Jung in the 19th century. Avicenna was also an early pioneer of neuropsychiatry, and first described a number of neuropsychiatric conditions such as hallucination, insomnia, nightmare, melancholia, dementia, epilepsy, paralysis, stroke, vertigo and tremor.

United States

Virginia is recognized as the first state to establish an institution for the mentally ill. Eastern State Hospital located in Williamsburg, was founded in 1773. Their land was given to them by the House of Burgesses in 1769.

Reformers, such as American Dorothea Dix began to advocate a more humane and progressive attitude towards the mentally ill. Some were motivated by a Christian Duty to mentally ill citizens. In the United States, for example, numerous states established state mental health systems paid for by taxpayer money (and often money from relatives of those institutionalized inside them). These centralized institutions were often linked with loose governmental bodies, through oversight and quality consequently varied. They were generally geographically isolated as well, located away from urban areas because the land was cheap and there was less political opposition. Many state hospitals in the United States were built in the 1850s and 1860s on the Kirkbride Plan, an architectural style meant to have curative effect. States made large outlays on architeture than often resembled the Palaces of Europe, although operative funding for ongoing programs was more scarce. Many patients objected to transfers from private hospitals to state facilities. Some Brattleboro Retreat patients tried to hide when state officials arrived to transfer them to the new Waterbury State Hospital. This decline in patient census led to the collapse of many private institutions, which still accepted indigent patients even when state reimbursement for private hospitals dropped in the face of rising state hospital costs.

Ineffective treatments

These treatments provided a fruitful environment for the popularity of quick-fix solutions, like the eugenic compulsory sterilization programs undertaken in over 20 U.S. States (and, later, in Germany), which allowed institutions to discharge patients while still claiming to be serving the public interest. These new treatments of mental illness—which is now seen as a “defect”--and likely a hereditary one—were seen less as therapeutic for the individual patient than as preventative for the society as a whole.

From 1942 to 1947, conscientious objectors in the US assigned to psychiatric hospitals under Civilian Public Service exposed abuses throughout the psychiatric care system and were instrumental in reforms of the 1940s and 1950s. The CPS reformers were especially active at the Philadelphia State Hospital where four Quakers initiated The Attendant magazine as a way to communicate ideas and promote reform. This periodical later became The Psychiatric Aide, a professional journal for mental health workers. On May 6, 1946, Life Magazine printed an expose of the psychiatric system based on the reports of Cos. Another effort of CPS, namely the Mental Hygiene Project, became The National Mental Health Foundation. Inititially skeptical about the value of Civilian Public Service, Eleanor Roosevelt, impressed by the changes introduced by Cos in the mental health system, became a sponsor of The National Mental Health Foundation and actively inspired other prominent citizens including Owen J. Roberts, Pearl Buck and Harry Emerson Fosdick to join her in advancing the organization's objectives of reform and humane treatment of patients.

Radical medicine

By the mid-1940s, treatment of the mentally ill took a new turn, with the advent of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) and insulin shock therapy, and the use of frontal lobotomy. In modern times, insulin shock therapy and lobotomies are viewed as being almost barbaric as the Bedlam “treatments”, although the insulin shock therapy was still seen as the first options which produced any noticeable effect on their patients. ECT is still used in the West, but it is seen as a last resort for treatment of mood disorders, and is administered much more safely than in the past. Elsewhere, particularly in India, use of ECT is reportedly increasing, as a cost-effective alternative to drug treatment. The effect of a shock on an overly excitable patient is often allowed these patients to be discharged to their homes, which was seen by administrators (and often guardians) as a preferable solution to institutionalization. Lobotomies were performed in the hundreds from the 1930s to the 1950s, and were ultimately replaced with modern psychotropic drugs.

Drugs

By the mid-1950s, the first psychiatric medications became available, such as chlorpromazine, which revolutionized psychiatric care and provided new ways for many of the severely mentally ill to return to normal society. Newly developed antidepressants were used to treat cases of depression, and the introduction of muscle relaxants allowed ECT to be used in a modified form for the treatment for severe and a few other disorders. The use of psychosurgery was narrowed to a very small number of people for specific indications. New treatments led to reductions in the number of patients in mental hospitals.

Political Device

In some nations, such as North Korea, the former Soviet Union, East Germany, and Romania during communist rule, mental hospitals were, and in some cases still are, used as sites for the stifling of political dissent or even genocide. Under Nazi Germany, a euthanasia program began which resulted in the killings of tens of thousands of the mentally ill housed in state institutions, and the killing techniques perfected at these sites became later implemented in the Holocaust.

Types

There are a number of different types of modern psychiatric hospitals, but all of them house people with mental illnesses of widely variable severity.


Crisis stabilization

The crisis stabilization unit is in effect an emergency room for psychiatry, frequently dealing with suicidal, violent, or otherwise critical individuals. Laws in many jurisdictions providing for involuntary commitment require a commitment order issued by a judge within a short time (often 72 hours) of the patient's entry to the unit, if the patient does not or is unable to consent themselves.

Open units

Open units are psychiatric units that are less secure than crisis stabilization units. They are not used for acutely suicidal persons; the focus in these units is to make life as normal as possible for patients while continuing treatment to the point where they can be discharged. However, patients are usually still not allowed to hold their own medications in their rooms, because of the risk of an impulsive overdose. While some open units are physically unlocked, other open units still use locked entrances and exits depending on the type of patients admitted.

Medium term

Another type of psychiatric hospital is a medium term, which provides care lasting several weeks. Most drugs used for psychiatric purposes take several weeks to take effect, and the main purpose of these hospitals is to monitor the patient for the first few weeks of therapy to ensure the treatment is effective.

Juvenile wards

Juvenile wards are sections of psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric wards set aside for children and/or adolescents with mental illness. However, there a number of institutions specializing only in the treatment of juveniles, particularly when dealing with drug abuse, self mutilation, or eating disorders.

These usually consist of anyone aged under 10.

Long term care facilities

In the UK long-term care facilities are now being replaced with smaller secure units (some within the hospitals listed above). Modern buildings, modern security and being locally sited to help with reintegration into society once medication has stabilized the condition are often features of such units. An example of this is the Three Bridges Unit, in the grounds of Hanwell Asylum in West London and the John Munroe Hospital in Staffordshire. However these modern units have the goal of treatment and rehabilitation back into society within a short time-frame (two or three years) and not all forensic patients' treatment can meet this criterion, so the large hospitals mentioned above often retain this role.

Halfway houses

One type of institution for the mentally ill is the community-based halfway house. These facilities provide assisted living for patients with mental illness for an extended period of time, and often aid in the transition to self-sufficiency. These institutions are considered to be one of the most important parts of a mental health system by many psychiatrists, although some localities lack sufficient funding.


Form of prison

In some countries the mental institution may be used for the incarceration of political prisoners, as a form of punishment.

Anti-psychiatry options

Some critics, notably psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz, have objected to calling mental hospitals “hospitals”. Michel Foucault is widely known for his comprehensive critique of the use and abuse of the mental hospital system in Madness and Civilization. Erving Goffman coined the term 'Total institution' for places which took over and confined a person's whole life. The anti-psychiatry movement coming to the fore in the 1960s oppose many of the practices, conditions, or existence of mental hospitals. The Consumer/Survivor Movement has often objected to or campaigned against conditions in mental hospitals or their use, voluntarily or involuntarily.

Some anti-psychiatry activists have advocated for the abolition of long-term hospitals for the criminally insane, including on the grounds that those judged not guilty by reason of insanity should not then be indefinitely confined with potentially less legal rights, or on the converse grounds that insanity is not a coherent concept and so should not be a basis for different treatment.